Two-step garment hanger



April 3 1963 .1. G. WARMATH TWO-STEP GARMENT HANGER Filed July 24, 1962 ,0 Y md M5 0 0. MW w United States Patent Plastics, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed July 24, 1962, Ser. No. 211,986 2 Claims. (Cl. 223-88) This invention relates to garment hangers, and in particular to a garment hanger for simultaneously supportmg a plurality of garments.

In the support of garments to be hung in suspension from any convenient rack, bar or other surface, it is nnportant that all of the decorative and ornamental features of the garment be displayed as fully as possible. Additionally, it is important that where the garment contains a number of par-ts, as a shouldered article like a acket, blouse or coat, combined with a waisted garment like trousers, skirts, slips, and in the case of childrens wear, panties, it is as important to be able to display the latter garments in lengthwise spaced relationship beneath the covering shouldered garment, so that such waisted articles extend partially below the shouldered article. This enables the exposure of its eye-appealing details, and its ornamental and attractive lines and features fully to the customer.

Hence, it is the desideratum of this invention to provide a garment hanger on which shouldered garments may be supported in combination with waisted garments. In accomplishing this purpose a further object of the invention resides in the provision of an arrangement of structures that securely grip and retain the waisted garment in position on the hanger, preventing its accidental displacement therefrom, thereby assuring that despite the rough handling to which the garment and hanger may be subjected, the waisted garment Wlll remain attractively displayed in place beneath and simultaneously with the shouldered garment article.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a garment hanger having a lurality of garment waist supports for waisted garments of different sizes, thereby enabling the support not only of shouldered garment articles, but also of a plurality of waisted garments simultaneously from the same hanger.

In accomplishing the objects of the invention a feature thereof resides in the novel deta'ls of structure wherein the garment waist supports are so shaped and contoured as to positively grip the waist of the garment positioned thereabout to prevent its accidental displacement therefrom despite the rough handling to which it may become subjected.

Other and further objects of this invention reside in the structures and arrangements hereinafter more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a garment hanger constructed according to the teaching of the invention,

FIG. 2 is a cross-section of FIG. 1 taken along lines 22, and

FIG. 3 is a top view of FIG. 1.

' Referring now to the drawing, the garment hanger there shown is generally identified by the number 10. Garment hanger comprises a hook-shaped element 12 of wellknown design that is adapted to suspendingly support the whole garment hanger from any convenient rack, rod or other surface. The lowermost portion of element 12 is formed integral with and as a part of a cross-bar 14.

The cross-bar 14 is included as a part of a garment shoulder support structure that includes also laterally directed shoulder support means 16 and 18. The shoulder supports 16 and 18 are made integral with the cross-bar Patented Apr. 30, 1963 14 at the braces 20. In the present invention, the shoulder support means 16 and 18 are directed laterally outward away from each other in extension of the cross-bar '14. They slope slightly downward so that they will conform to the normal contour of the shoulders of shouldered garments, such as jackets, blouses, coats and like articles of wear.

The lateral outer ends of the shoulder supports 16 and 18 merge smoothly and unitarily with connecting arms 22 and 24. The connecting arms 22 and 24 extend lengthwise down from their respective shoulder support means 16 and 18 and at the same time are directed laterally inward toward each other so that their terminating ends 26 are disposed a distance substantially laterally inward from and narrower than the lateral extent of the terminating ends of the shoulder support means 16 and 18. Connected with the terminating ends of the arms 22 and 24 is a set of garment waist support means 28 and 30. Each of the garment waist support means 28 and 30 includes a supporting surface 32 that extends laterally outward in a substantially horizontal plane from its point of connection with the ends 26. The lateral extent of the surfaces 32 is sufficiently substantial so that a corner garment seat 34 is defined at the point of connection between the supporting surfaces 32 and the terminating ends 26.

Formed integral with the lateral outer ends of each of the garment waist support means 28 and 30 are lengthwise disposed connectors 36. The connectors 36 serve to connect a second set of garment waist support means 38 and 40 in lengthwise-spaced relationship relative to the first set 28 and 30. Like the first set of garment waist support means, the second set also includes supporting surfaces 42 that define at their lateral inner ends and at their points of connection with the connectors 36, corner garment seats 44. The lowermost ends of the second set of garment waist support means 38 and 40 are joined together and braced at their laterally spaced apart relationship by a cross-bar 46 that forms the base of the garment hanger 10. An additional supporting cross-bar 48 is provided between the garment waist support means 28 and 30 to retain the same in their laterally spaced relationship.

In use, the present invention is adapted to be conveniently supported by the hook-shaped element 12 from any handy surface. The relative lateral spacing of the first set of garment waist support means 28 and 30 is of a distance less than that of the second set of garment Waist support means 38 and 40. Thus, each set of garment waist support means and their respective surfaces 32 and 42 is adapted to support waisted garments of difierent widths. It is to be noted that the laterally inwardly directed connecting arms 22 and 24 connect with the lateral inner ends of the surfaces 32 to form the corner garment seats 34. Each seat 34 is positioned substantially laterally inward of the extent of the terminating ends of the shoulder support 16, 18.

Thus, when a waisted garment is positioned on and across the set of laterally spaced surfaces 32, its waist is normally pulled into the corner seats 34 and thus disposed a substantial distance laterally inward of the terminating ends of the shoulder support means 16, 18 and that of the surfaces 32. This inward positioning of the waist of the garment removes it from interference with the hanging tolds and flattering display of the shouldered garment that is subsequently positioned over the shoulder support means 16, 18. The lower portion of the shouldered garment thereby will extend down over the reduced waist of the waisted garment positioned on the set of surfaces 32 and thus covers the gathering of the same without, however, obscuring from view the remaining flattering details of the waisted garment suspended therebelow.

The laterally outer ends 50 of the surfaces 32 have relatively pointed edge terminations that serve to grip and positively engage the folds of the garment as its waist is positioned in the corners 34 on the surfaces 32, thereby providing a positive hold and digging into the garment preventing the accidental displacement of the waist thereof from the surfaces 32. The relatively pointed terminating ends 50, being laterally spaced from the corners 34 form with the surfaces 32 a support for the waist of the garment that has a tendency to cause the waist of the garment to pull snugly and formfittingly into the corners 34. It is this unique combination of details that serves to retain the garment in position on the garment hanger and to positively position the waist of the same into the corner seat 34. The extensions formed by the pointed terminations 50 lift the engaged adjacent portions of the waist of the garment so as to flare the same and more fully embolden its folds and attractive features.

The function described with respect to the surfaces 32, the relatively pointed terminations 50, and the corner seats 34 is equally applicable to the details of the surfaces 42, corner seats 44 and relatively pointed edged terminations 52 of the second set of garment waist support means 38 :and 40, except, however, that the lateral extent or distance between the corner seats 44 is greater than that of the previously described corner seats 34. In consequence, the second set of garment waist support means 38 and 40 are capable of supporting waisted garment articles of larger size than that of the garment waist support means 28 and 30.

Throughout the disclosure it has been noted that the details of the garment hanger 10 are unitarily formed. In practice it has been found convenient to form the hanger as a single, unitary construction, and more particularly, to construct the same in a single mold of a relatively strong plastic material. The cross-bars 46 and 48 provide substantial rigdity and strength to the details of the garment hanger. Once again, in practice it has been found that the cross-bar 48 may be eliminated without sacrificing the degree of strength and support necessary for the garment hanger to accomplish its intended purpose. The material of which the hanger is formed is susceptible of a reasonable degree of pliability, hence when at times the cus tomer tugs or pulls on portions of the garments supported in suspension on the garment hanger 110, the degree of flexibility inherent in the details of the hanger are suflicient to permit the hanger to flex and be plied slightly without breaking, cracking or otherwise unduly causing possible damage to the garment.

While there has been shown and described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as apmeans each having two surfaces, said surfaces of each of said sets being directed laterally and being laterally spaced relative to each other, each of said plurality of sets of garment su port surfaces having a different lateral support means to the laterally directed inner ends of said first set of said plurality of sets of garment support means, and further connecting means connecting the laterally directed outer ends of said first set of garment support means with the laterally directed inner ends of another of said plurality of sets of garment support means, the lateral spacing of which is greater than said first set of garment support means, a cross-bar joining said two surfaces of said first set of garment support means in lateral alignment therewith, said crossbar serving to support said two surfaces of said first set of garment support means in said lateral spaced relation and from lateral movement relative to each other, said connections between said connecting means and the inner ends of said garment support means defining corner garment seats, said garment support means each having a relatively pointed termination at the other of their ends.

2. -In a garment hanger as in claim 1, and a cross bar connecting together the garment support means of the one of said plurality of sets of garment support means having the greatest lengthwise spacing from said shoulder support means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. IN A GARMENT HANGER, LATERALLY DIRECTED SHOULDER SUPPORT MEANS, A PLURALITY OF SETS OF GARMENT SUPPORT MEANS EACH HAVING TWO SURFACES, SAID SURFACES OF EACH OF SAID SETS BEING DIRECTED LATERALLY AND BEING LATERALLY SPACED RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER, EACH OF SAID PLURALITY OF SETS OF GARMENT SUPPORT SURFACES HAVING A DIFFERENT LATERAL SPACING THAN THE OTHER OF SAID PLURALITY OF SETS TO SUPPORT GARMENTS OF DIFFERENT SIZES THEREON, CONNECTING MEANS DISPOSED LENGTHWISE BETWEEN A FIRST ONE OF SAID PLURALITY OF SETS OF GARMENT SUPPORT MEANS AND BETWEEN SAID SHOULDER SUPPORT MEANS TO CONNECT THE SAME TOGETHER IN LENGTHWISE SPACED RELATIONSHIP, SAID CONNECTING MEANS EXTENDING FROM THE LATERALLY DIRECTED OUTER ENDS OF SAID SHOULDER SUPPORT MEANS TO THE LATERALLY DIRECTED INNER ENDS OF SAID FIRST SET OF SAID PLURALITY OF SETS OF GARMENT SUPPORT MEANS, AND FURTHER CONNECTING MEANS CONNECTING THE LATERALLY DIRECTED OUTER ENDS OF SAID FIRST SET OF GARMENT SUPPORT MEANS WITH THE LATERALLY DIRECTED INNER ENDS OF ANOTHER OF SAID PLURALITY OF SETS OF GARMENT SUPPORT MEANS, THE LATERAL SPACING OF WHICH IS GREATER THAN SAID FIRST SET OF GARMENT SUPPORT MEANS, A CROSS-BAR JOINING SAID TWO SURFACES OF SAID FIRST SET OF GARMENT SUPPORT MEANS IN LATERAL ALIGNMENT THEREWITH, SAID CROSS-BAR SERVING TO SUPPORT SAID TWO SURFACES OF SAID FIRST SET OF GARMENT SUPPORT MEANS IN SAID LATERAL SPACED RELATION AND FROM LATERAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER, SAID CONNECTIONS BETWEEN SAID CONNECTING MEANS AND THE INNER ENDS OF SAID GARMENT SUPPORT MEANS DEFINING CORNER GARMENT SEATS, SAID GARMENT SUPPORT MEANS EACH HAVING A RELATIVELY POINTED TERMINATION AT THE OTHER OF THEIR ENDS. 